Update: Mosley High students evacuated twice

LYNN HAVEN — A. Crawford Mosley High School students were evacuated twice Wednesday.

Jessica McCarthy / The News Herald

LYNN HAVEN — A. Crawford Mosley High School students were evacuated twice Wednesday.

The first incident happened about 8:10 a.m. after a pervasive smell of gas permeated the campus. The second time happened in the afternoon after more smells.

Principal Sandy Harrison said they were evacuated to the driver’s education range as part of their plan for long term evacuations after calls about the smell of gas Wednesday morning.

“You could smell it all over the school, all at once,” Harrison said. “We had several teachers call about it; we pulled the fire alarm and evacuated.”

The evacuation plan included a check out system for parents to get their children, with administrators at gates to verify identifications. She said fire departments and county maintenance workers went into the building with testing probes to determine the source of the leak.

It took about an hour before the all clear was given after the gas was turned off and officials determined it was safe for students to re-enter the buildings. According to information from the district, students returned to class and lunch schedules were being adjusted to ensure everyone got the chance to eat.

Bay District Schools’ maintenance crews will go back to the school after the end of day, when all students are gone, to determine the source of the smell and make any needed repairs.

The second evacuation occurred after smells again permeated the building; officials said this time the source was people working on the roof spraying chemicals. Students were not evacuated for long and were able to go back into the building to finish the day, officials said.

An earlier version of this story is below:

LYNN HAVEN — A. Crawford Mosley High School students were evacuated about 8:10 a.m. after a pervasive smell of gas permeated the campus.

Principal Sandy Harrison said they were evacuated to the driver’s education range as part of their plan for long term evacuations after calls about the smell of gas. “You could smell it all over the school, all at once,” Harrison said. “We had several teachers call about it; we pulled the fire alarm and evacuated.”

The evacuation plan included a check out system for parents to get their children, with administrators at gates to verify identifications. She said fire departments and county maintenance workers went into the building with testing probes to determine the source of the leak.

It took about an hour before the all clear was given after the gas was turned off and officials determined it was safe for students to re-enter the buildings. According to information from the district, students returned to class and lunch schedules were being adjusted to ensure everyone got the chance to eat.

Bay District Schools’ maintenance crews will go back to the school after the end of day, when all students are gone, to determine the source of the smell and make any needed repairs.

Area fire departments and the gas company worked with school district staff throughout the day to determine the source of the strange odor and they determined it was coming from some materials being used for roof repairs on the building, officials wrote.

A regular school day will resume Thursday, they added. Students should report to school at their regularly scheduled times.